


The Bloom Before the Shine

by Nara_Isle



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Florist!Dean, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 15:38:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7939996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nara_Isle/pseuds/Nara_Isle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas is perfectly okay with his little book store and ordinary day to day basis, okay? So when the hot florist next door starts putting flowers up on Cas's door, well, let's just say Cas does what Cas does best- panic and die inside because he absolutely loves it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bloom Before the Shine

The weather was chilly and the wind bit at Castiel’s face as he made his way to his book shop. He loved the fall, he really did. The fall always led to steaming cups of hot chocolate, warm blankets, and freshly baked cinnamon cookies from the bakery down the street. The bookstore that Cas owned felt even more homey at this time. He didn’t mind when his boss would ask him to stay behind to work on cataloging the books, especially because of the apparently new, hot florist right next door-

Back up a second. 

He was definitely not there yesterday, Cas thought. 

The florist shop next door, Winchester’s Floral, was usually manned by Mary Winchester, a warm motherly figure who always said hello to Cas and would sometimes stop by and have a chat about some new book she wanted to buy or had read. Sometimes, she’d even bring by a fresh bouquet of flowers for the shop when she wanted to “liven things up”, as she would say with a warm laugh. Cas loved her no-nonsense but loving manner. It was usually the same attitude she would use when she would tell Cas about how she had roped her husband into helping her out for the day. 

But now?

Now, there was an extremely hot guy standing behind the counter, from what Cas could see through the window, who was delicately arranging a bouquet of peonies. Cas stared at him through the window, mouth agape because honestly, a man that beautiful- delicately handling flowers? Cas stared at the man who was intensely staring at the work in front of him. His face was dotted with freckles, from what Cas could see and his arms- god his arms. Cas wondered how arms that muscled and hands that looked that strong could be so delicate when tying a ribbon around the basket. 

“Well, fuck” Cas said aloud, because honestly, he was so screwed. This only proved to be true when the man whipped his head up just as Cas had spoken aloud and stared directly at Cas. 

Well, fuck Cas repeated again in his head, because not only had he been caught staring with his mouth wide open, but he was frozen in place, staring at this man’s eyes. Even through the glass window, he could see how bright and green his eyes were and holy shit, can eyes even be that green Cas thought to himself. 

This little staring contest went on, Cas staring at the man, mouth still open and honestly, he probably looked like a deer in headlights, and the man staring right back, giving Cas a calculated and confused look. Finally, the man raised a single eyebrow, as if to ask What? That was when Cas finally snapped out of it, closed his mouth, and without another word, scurried off to unlock the book store. 

Oh god, why was this his life? Why was it that Cas could not socialize in any way, shape, or form, with an attractive human being without making a fool of himself? 

Cas made himself busy getting the shop ready, trying to distract himself from what had just happened and keep himself from feeling absolutely mortified. Thankfully, there were some early customers, old ladies who always liked to ask Cas about his latest recommendation for their new book club choice. He was roped into their conversations, listening to their latest gossip and laughing as he tried to keep up. 

“Edith, dear, have you seen who’s back?” old lady Jean asked as she turned to her friend. 

The old woman nodded in response. “You bet I have. I haven’t seen that boy in years. Mind you, I wouldn’t have minded seeing him sooner, if you know what I mean.” She winked lasciviously at Cas and both women began laughing so loudly, Cas was honestly terrified they’d fall over. 

“Who is he?” Can asked when it seemed they’d finally stopped laughing a bit. 

“Why, that’s Dean Winchester, sweet cheeks. Mary’s oldest son.” Jean answered. 

“Mmm, haven’t seen that boy in quite some time. He would always help his mama out with the shop when he was young. Grew up quite nicely too.” Edith gave Cas a sidelong glance as she said this. “What do you think Castiel?” 

The two women laughed again as they saw a furious blush work its way up Cas’s face. “I’m just wondering, is all. He’s the next door neighbor, figured it wouldn’t hurt to know a bit before I go over and introduce myself.” 

Turns out, Cas did not go over and introduce himself. In fact, he made sure to keep from even glancing at the wall that connected the two stores. How would he even start? 

Hey, I’m your neighbor, the one that was checking you out earlier today and ran without saying hi?

Yeah, no. He’d do just fine from here, thinking about those beautiful green eyes and ridiculously muscled forearms without having to actually see him. This went on for the entirety of the day, and overtime he heard the bell jingle to the front of his store, a sound that would usually have him coming out to greet the newest patron with a smile, Cas hid behind the shelves or the desk and spied over the top to see if it was Dean Winchester, in all his beautiful glory, coming by to sternly turn down Cas. 

By the time the end of the day rolled around, Cas had successfully managed to lock up the store and hurry home without so much as a glance at the flower shop, though he could feel a pair of eyes stare at him as he made his way down the street. 

The next couple days passed by as such. Cas would arrive at promptly 7:30 in the morning to open up the shop and everyday, he would notice a familiar face that was arranging yet another beautiful bouquet, always there. He would avoid looking and would spend the days distracting itself with old ladies and grumpy customers and screaming children with their parents, just to keep from staring at the door. A small part of him, a very small part, hoped that one day Dean Winchester would come inside but the more rational part of Cas was too terrified for this to actually happen. At the end of the day, Cas would scurry off, feeling that familiar burn at the back of his head of someone staring at him. 

During Day 4 of what Cas called Humiliation Week, Mary Winchester herself walked in with a warm bright smile on her face. She grabbed Cas and pulled him in to a fierce hug. 

“Cas, dear, it’s been so long. How have you been?” Mary asked. 

Cas smiled. Mary always had a warm, maternal air about her and it made Cas feel so happy. He hadn’t had this kind of love surrounding him when he was younger and it made him feel loved. “Mrs. Winchester, it really has been. I’m good. How are you?”

Mary frowned, but the frown didn’t reach her eyes, still alight with happiness. She shook her finger as she admonished him. “How many times must I tell you Castiel? Mary, not Mrs. Winchester. I feel so old when I hear that.” 

Cas laughed. “Well you certainly don’t look the part, Mary” he teases. “Really, how have you been? Still keeping Mr. Winchester in check?”

Mary laughed at that. “Well of course. He knows who runs that flower shop.” They both laughed at that. Cas knew very well just how well Mary could get John to do just about anything. 

“Actually, it’s been a bit easier for him the past couple days. My son, Dean, he helps out around the shop now. Lord knows he’s much better than his father. John can’t tell a rose apart from a daisy, but I do love that man.” She paused at this. “Actually, I don’t think you’ve met. You should come by the shop one day, meet him.” 

Cas sputtered like a fish at this. “You know, that’s fine. I’m sure he’s a bit busy. You know I think we’ve sort of met the other day and you know, its fine really. I wouldn’t want to bother him. He seems like he enjoys the quiet when working on those beautiful bouquets. Because, you know, you need to de delicate and have it quiet and I really wouldn’t to impose.”

Cas only stopped his rambling when he saw the sly, mischievous look come across Mary’s face. “Well, I’ll be sure to let him know that you’re very considerate of his beautiful bouquets and you understand the delicacy.” Mary laughed at the look of pure horror on Cas’s face. “Don’t worry sweetheart, he’s not nearly as intimidating as he looks. You should introduce yourself, properly.” She winked at him before making her way out of the shop. 

Cas stared at the door, after Mary had exited and wondered, again, just why his life was like this. 

~

The next morning, Sunday, Cas was welcomed to the smell of coffee. Gabe had just stopped by the book store, probably to bother Cas about some completely uninteresting new piece of gossip he’d heard. The only plus side to this was the cup of coffee in Gabe’s hand.

“Oh god, I really needed that” Cas grumbled, as he stared at the cup his brother was handing him. Last night, he slept so restlessly, dreaming of flashes of green eyes and freckles on tan skin. Needless to say, he needed a cold shower in the morning. God, he was so fucked. 

Gabriel smirked as he handed over the cup of coffee. His other hand passed over a paper bag that smelled like one of those cinnamon rolls Cas loved. Cas gulped down the scalding hot liquid. 

“Late night?” Gabriel teased him. “Must have been some book you read.”

Cas glared at his brother. “Shut up Gabe.” 

Gabriel laughed at him. “Whatever you say bro.” He walked over to one of the shelves, flipping through the books. “So, on to better and brighter things.” He placed the book back on the shelf and looked at Cas. “Have you seen your hot new neighbor?” He waggled his eyebrows and smiled sneakily at Cas. 

Cas stared down at the logo on the paper coffee cup, as if it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the world and held the answer to all of life’s questions. 

“Nope, haven’t seen him. Why do you ask?” Cas said in a rush, starring studiously at the logo.

Gabriel stared at him, recognizing the clear (and poor) deflection patterns Cas always used, be it with awkward situations or secrets. In this case, attractive florists who were too beautiful for their own good. “No” he said, looking at Cas. “No way.” 

“Gabe,” Cas warned him in a low tone, finally looking up. “Don’t.” 

Gabriel looked positively gleeful. “So you're telling me, brother mine, that you have a hot florist, right next door, that you just so happen to be crushing on, and you haven’t gotten with that yet?”

Cas looked back down, Gabe could still hear him grumble “More like haven’t even talked to yet.”

Gabe cackled at that. “Oh this is beautiful. Oh man, this is going to be amazing, watching you flounder.” 

Cas glared at Gabe. “Nice to know you care. Now get out of my shop. Don’t you have work to do?” 

Gabe threw his hand up in defeat but he was still smiling. “Don’t worry. I’m going, I’m going.” 

As he was leaving, Gabe froze as he opened the door and stared down at the ground, before throwing his entire head back and laughing. 

“What? What’s so funny?” Cas asked, frowning. 

“Oh man, this is going to be gold. I can not wait the tell Anna.” Gabe bent down and when he turned around, he had a basket in his hand. More specifically, a flower bouquet that was beautifully arranged Cas couldn’t help to think. He wondered why that was there because Mary usually always came inside to deliver the flowers to Cas personally, always making sure to chat before leaving. So if it wasn’t Mary… 

Cas froze, his hands stilling as he stroked a few of the petals from the sunflowers. No, he thought, there’s no way.

Gabe was still laughing as he made his way out the door. “Have fun figuring this one out!” 

This definitely warranted an introduction. He placed the flowers on the register and spent as much time as he could positioning it in what he thought was best, putting off the meeting for as long as he could. Finally, after 20 minutes of positioning and repositioning and rerepositioning, Cas took a deep breath and made his way to Winchester’s Floral. This time, he kept from staring through the window with his mouth open. He opened the door and was immediately hit with the smell of fresh flowers in bloom, bright and vibrant colors coming from every direction. 

The man in question was behind the counter and was, for the first time, not putting together a bouquet as Cas was so used to seeing him do. He was hunched over a book, scribbling away. He didn’t look up until Cas finally walked over and cleared his throat. He had looked up and looked surprised, as if he hadn’t expected Cas to be standing there in front of him. 

“Hi,” Cas blurted out. “I’m your neighbor.” 

Oh god, Cas thought. Really? That’s what you decided to start it off with? 

Dean stared at Cas before, a small smiled graced his face. “So it would seem. Nice to meet you.” 

Holy fuck. Dean Winchester, Cas decided, was unnecessarily beautiful to begin with and that smile and that deep, silky voice, made him even more devastatingly beautiful. He was so screwed. 

Okay Cas. He could do this. Suave and smooth. He’s got this one in the bag. 

“Your arrangements are beautiful” he said. 

Why does he open his mouth again? Dean simply looked amused at this. 

“I meant your flowers, the basket. They were really nice. Thank you for that.” 

Dean smiled at that, looking somewhat bashful. Cas thought he couldn’t look any more beautiful. “I’m glad you liked them” he said, his voice deep. “I figured they’d be, you know, a good way to introduce myself.” 

Cas smiled. “They were. Thank you. You mother sometimes brings some by and I tell her every time that she really doesn’t have to, but she won’t have any of that.”

“Damn right I don’t!” a voice called out from the back. Mary Winchester came out the back door, a large and floppy sunhat on her head. She was holding a basket of what looked to be freshly pruned yellow roses, stacking them on top of the register. She then turned to Cas and enveloped him in a big hug. “To what do we owe the pleasure, Castiel? I see you’ve met Dean” she said, smiling at her son. 

Cas smiled at her, but she could see Dean mouthing Cas’s name slowly, almost as if trying it out. It sent a shot of excitement through Cas. 

“I was just stopping by. Dean here actually sent some sunflowers to the shop and I figured it was only polite to say thank you, seeing as you constantly bring some by.” 

Mary smiled warmly at her son. “Well damn right he did.” She looked proud of her son, and Cas would’ve let it be, had it not been for the twinkle of mischief in her eyes. “Sunflowers, huh?” she asked turning to Dean. Dean blushed at this, shoving his hand in his back pockets. 

Cas looked over confused and Mary had seen this and she laughed brightly.

“Oh you know, every flower has a different meaning.” She said, sounding as vague as possible. 

Cas cocked his head in confusion, but Dean just shook his head. “Ignore her. Mom can be weird, you know?” He looked over at Cas, looking uncomfortable and embarrassed and god, he was so adorable Cas thought. But, Dean looked like he desperately wanted an out and Mary just watched on, almost gleeful. 

Cas simply shrugged. “I know what you mean. She can be very strange when she stops by.”

Dean looked relieved at this and Mary laughed at the comment, clearly deciding to let it go for now. “I’ll have you know, young man, I am an absolute delight and I’ll have none of that.” 

Cas looked over at the clock behind the register and realized he’d been there for nearly 15 minutes now. “I’d love to stay and talk but I really should be getting back. Mr. Holt may give me plenty of leeway but he’d come after me knowing I’d left his shop for too long.” 

Mary nodded at this. “You go on and get back to work, we’ll see you soon hopefully.” She turned to Dean. “Look after the shop for a bit. I need to go and get some new shears for the greenhouse.” 

Mary kissed Dean’s cheek and gave Cas one final hug before leaving the store, leaving only Dean and Cas. Cas looked over at Dean nervously and smiled. 

“So, I guess I’ll be seeing you around?” he asked, praying he didn’t sound too obvious or hopeful. 

Dean smiled back at him. “Yeah, I’d like that.” He reached out his hand and Cas shook it. “It was nice to finally meet you.” 

“You too” Cas said, finally letting go of Dean’s hand. With a final smile, he made his way out of the store and into his own book shop. The entire day, customers came and went and Cas listened only partly at what was happening around him. His thoughts were mainly taken up by Dean Winchester and his bright green eyes that were even more beautiful up close and the way his eyes crinkled in the corner when he smiled and his hands that were firm but gentle and soft, and god what would those hands feel like on Cas? 

Yeah, he was definitely, without a doubt, 100% screwed. 

~

The following day, Cas made his way over to Gabe’s coffee shop during his lunch break. His morning consisted of a mother coming in with two screaming toddlers that kept knocking books off the shelves, a cranky old man who insisted that the shop carried a collection of first edition books that Cas was pretty sure didn’t exist to begin with, and a group of old women that haughtily told Cas that his book arrangement was completely unorganized and implied that they could have done a much better job. 

Yeah, he desperately needed a coffee right about now. 

As he made his way inside, Cas noticed Gabe at the counter, handing a cup of coffee and muffin over to the customer at the register. They appeared to be in a pretty animated discussion, leading to Gabe throwing his head back in laughter as he whispered something to the man. It was then that Cas noticed the sandy blonde hair and the muscled forearms and thought to himself- shit.

Gabe chose this moment to look over Dean’s shoulder and make eye contact with Cas, a sly smile spread across his face. 

“Speak of the devil” Gabe said.

Seriously, what? Cas was going to kill him.

Dean turned around and looked straight at Cas, a warm smile spreading across his face. Cas immediately felt his own lips lift at the corners, returning the smile. 

“Hey there Cas. I was just telling Dean here about your obsessive relationship with those smelly old books down at the store. Really bro, you really need to get out more.” 

Cas blushed at this and looked down at the floor, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Shut up Gabe. I do not have an obsession and you know perfectly well I go out enough. We went out the other night.” 

“”Yeah, but I meant out-out Cas. Seriously Cas, it’s a thing.” Gabe mocked.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a hobby.” Dean chimed in.

Cas’s head shot up, looking at Dean, a small but surprised smile gracing his face. 

Now it was Dean’s turn to awkwardly rub his neck. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with spending time doing something you like. I spend most of the day in the greenhouse, so you know. It’s cool. That’s all I’m saying.” Dean finished awkwardly. 

Cas smiled gratefully at Dean at this and was awarded with a small smile back, neither one of them breaking eye contact. 

Gabe groaned from behind. “Oh goodness, I’m gonna puke.” Cas turned to glare at Gabe who just rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah, I’ll get your order. Nice meeting you Dean-O.” 

With that, Gabe made his way to the coffee machine and left Cas and Dean alone. 

Dean cleared his throat and looked down as he shuffled his feet awkwardly. “I should be getting back. I told mom I’d be back in 20 minutes.” 

“Yeah, no of course. You should definitely get back.” Cas groaned inwardly. He could not get any worse, could he? “Give Mary my regards.”

Dean smiled. “Of course. It was good seeing you Cas.” 

With that, Dean made his way out of the shop and down the street. 

“Are you guys done? God, I thought I was gonna puke at how sickeningly gross your googly eyes to each other were.”

“Shut up Gabe. Just give me my coffee.” Cas grumbled. He handed over a five and watched as Gabe punched it into the register. 

“You planning to make a move there anytime soon?” Game said, smirking as he handed back Cas’s change. 

Cas glared at Gabe as he pocketed the money and made his way out the store but not before hearing Gabe shout “Don’t be a wuss! Make a move before someone else does.” 

Cas didn’t know why but hearing that set him on edge and he made his way back to the shop slowly, trudging his feet and angrily sipping at the hot coffee as if it was the creamer’s fault. So what if someone else made a move? Cas didn’t care. So what if someone got to kiss those adorably pink, pouty lips? So what if Dean looked at someone else lovingly with those amazing green eyes that looked like sparkling emerald in the sunlight? Cas really couldn’t care less.

When he finally reached his door, Cas stopped short and stared at the front of his door. There, on the front of his door, was a single yellow acacia taped to the front of his door. It was in full bloom, the yellow bright and the long green stem was perfectly pruned. 

Cas slowly took the flower off the door, holding it delicately as if he could break the flower if he held it too hard. 

Okay Cas, don’t read into this too much. Mary could’ve left this. Or maybe… if it was Dean… Maybe he was just being friendly. 

Don’t. Read. Too. Much. Into. This.

Cas couldn’t help the smile that came across his face. He hugged the flower to his chest and made his way inside his shop, Gabe’s words already long forgotten.

~

The next day, Cas found a single stem of orchids, pink and blooming, taped to his door. His heart definitely did not feel like it might explode right then and there. 

~

On day three, Cas was filling out a few forms for a new collection of books when he heard the bell of the door as it opened. Cas looked up and was greeted to the smiling face of Sam Winchester himself. 

“Hey Cas, how have you been?” Sam asked reaching a hand out. 

Cas smiled back, shaking Sam’s hand. “Sam, haven’t seen you around here in a while. I’ve been good. What about you? How are you and Jess?” 

Sam beamed at the mention of his fiancé. “We’re good, settling in to the new place. The baby is due in a couple months so you know, it’s crazy trying to adjust to it all. The university’s given me plenty of leisure time to stay with Jess though so that’s pretty helpful.” 

Cas smiled at that. Sam Winchester was a man who was utterly devoted to his fiancé. The baby announcement came out of nowhere and once Sam had found out, the ring had come pretty soon after. The whole town looked forward to the long awaited marriage of the two and even more so for the baby. Sam had been an easy friend. He was there the first day Cas started out in the shop and came barreling in, pleading for a book that Cas knew they didn’t have. Fortunately, he’d been able to put in a special order and they’d been friends ever since. When Sam invited Cas over for dinner, he had met the lovely Jess and the three had been friends since. Cas had been extremely grateful. Sam had understood that Cas only knew Gabe in these parts and wanted to extend a hand of friendship. 

“Well, we’re all pretty excited about the new arrival.” Cas said to Sam.

“Speaking of new arrivals…” Sam said, a sly smile crossing his face. 

“Oh no, which new book do you need an order put in for now?” Cas said groaning playfully. 

“Oh I wasn’t talking about a textbook Cas.” Sam’s grin grew even wider. “You know, my brother’s back in town. And Gabe and I have had a little chat when I went over to the coffee shop this morning.” 

Cas froze on the spot. He was sure he would’ve slipped in between the cracks in the floor and hidden with the ants down in the ground if he could’ve by now. 

“So, you and Dean, huh?” Sam asked playfully. 

Cas couldn’t move and he was pretty sure he looked like a deer in headlights. Oh god, he was going to kill Gabe if he ever made it out of this without trying to kill himself. 

Sam laughed gleefully. “So it’s true. Aw man, this is great.” 

Cas must’ve looked horrified at this point. Sam stopped laughing but a small smile still played at his lips. “You know, you really shouldn’t look so scared. I know my brother. I think it’s nice that a guy like you is interested. You’re a good guy Cas. Don’t worry too much.” 

Sam patted Cas’s shoulder and Cas hoped his face wasn't burning red. But a part of him…

“Do you have any tips?” he blurted out. 

Sam chuckled at that. “Follow the signs Cas.” 

With that, he walked out the door, but not before turning back to Cas. “Oh, and for the record. If someone was putting up flowers on my door, I’d probably think that meant something.” With that, Sam swung open the door fully so Cas could see the beautiful red chrysanthemum now taped to the front of his door. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the flower, even as Sam laughed and walked out. 

Well, Cas thought, it’s time to finally make a move. 

~

That night, right after Cas decided to close shop early, he grabbed the chrysanthemum that had been taped to the door earlier that day. He took a deep breath and made his over to the flower shop next door. The lights were dimmed down and the sign was flipped to Closed but the door opened when Cas pushed it open. The front of the store was empty but the door to the greenhouse outback’s was open so Cas slowly walked over. He nudged the door open slightly. He could see Dean kneeling over a rose bush, pruning and shearing away. He had forgone his usual plaid shirt on top and was now in only a tight t-shirt and a pair of dark denim jeans that seemed to hug him in the most amazing away. 

Holy shit. Okay, Cas thought. You can do this.

Before Cas could take another step forward, Dean whipped his head around, as if he could feel Cas’s gaze on his back. He slowly stood up, keeping eye contact with Cas the entire time. They stared at each other for a while until Dean’s eyes flickered to the flower hanging loosely from Cas’s fingers. Immediately, a light blush coming across his cheeks. 

“So, it was you.” Cas said. Dean’s averted his eyes and rubbed his neck, clearly nervous. The confirmation made Cas feel giddy, excited even. 

“Yeah, that was me. If it bothered you, I’m sorry. Really, I am.” The words seemed to rush out of Dean’s mouth. He sounded almost pained, even. 

Cas smiled. “I definitely didn’t mind. It was, you know, really nice of you .” 

Dean looked up at Cas, hand lowering from his neck. “That’s good. I’m glad you liked it.” A small smile came across his face and Cas was hit once again by just how beautiful Dean looked. 

Seriously, it wasn’t his fault. The man was gorgeous and now here he is, surrounded by a bunch of flowers in a garden. Seriously, how is this his life, Cas thought to himself. 

“Yeah, I definitely liked it.” Cas said. 

Okay Cas, here we go. Just go for it. Just do it. 

“Why’d you do it?” he blurted out. 

Oh god, you really shouldn’t have just gone for it, Cas thought.

Dean looked surprised at this. “I thought it was obvious.”

Cas must’ve looked confused at this so Dean smiled. He took a tentative step closer to Cas before saying “I was slowly making my way up to asking you out. You know, if you’re cool with that.” 

Cas’s mouth dropped open at that and Dean laughed. “Well that’s a familiar look.”

Cas snapped his mouth shut immediately. It was now his turn to blush. “Shut up” he mumbled. “You took me by surprise and you were just standing there, looking hot and surrounded by flowers and I had no clue who you were and-“

“You think I’m hot?” Dean interrupted, his smile growing cheeky. 

Cas blushed even harder at this, but he refused to back down. “Seriously, that’s all you got out of that?” 

“That’s all that mattered.” Dean said happily. 

Cas huffed and rolled his eyes. 

“If it makes you feel better, I think you’re really hot too. Seriously. I’m surrounded by flowers everyday but you’re more beautiful than any of them.”

Cas groaned at this, but he was definitely secretly pleased. “Seriously? That was the best pick up line you could come up with? Really?”

Dean just laughed at this, a laugh that had him throwing his head back and Cas’s breath was taken away by how beautiful he looked. Soon enough, he was joining in, the both of them just standing there clutching their stomachs and laughing. 

When their laughter died down, they stood there, smiling at each other. 

Dean was the first to speak up. “I’m going to kiss you now. Is that okay?”

Cas’s eyes widened, but he slowly nodded his head. 

Dean slowly came forward, until he was standing right in front of Cas. He reached out one hand and gently cupped Cas’s face, their noses touching now, their breaths mingling. Cas’s eyes fluttered shut as he felt Dean slowly stroke his jaw with his thumb. A pair of lips brushed against Cas’s in the lightest of brushes, almost feather-like. 

Dean pulled back slightly before bringing his lips to Cas’s again and kissed him softly. Cas reveled in how soft Dean’s lips were, how gentle they were, how gentle Dean’s hand was when holding Cas’s face. 

When he pulled back, Cas slowly opened his eyes and was met with a pair of green eyes that he had spent plenty of time, day dreaming about. Up close, Dean’s eyes were even more beautiful than Cas had seen. He could count the freckles on his cheek, almost mapping out the constellations on them. 

Dean was looking at Cas carefully, asking with his eyes if that was okay. Cas smiled and brought his hands up to Dean’s shoulder’s, pulling the man back in and kissing him again. This kiss was playful at first, a mess of teeth because they were both smiling and their lips couldn’t align. Eventually, Dean held Cas’s face with both hands and kissed him properly. He sucked on Cas’s bottom lip, causing Cas to gasp. Dean kept going, biting and sucking at Cas’s lip, torturing Cas in the most beautiful way possible. 

Eventually, they both had to pull away for air. Cas was gasping and stared at Dean in awe. Dean’s face looked like it could split in two at how wide he was grinning. Cas felt electrified. The kiss was live and passionate and perfect. Dean moved his hands from Cas’s face to his hips, his hands fitting perfectly at Cas’s sides. 

“So,” Dean started, “dinner tomorrow at 8?” 

Cas laughed breathlessly at this. “It’s a date.” 

Dean bent down and picked up one of the pink roses he had been pruning and tucked it behind Cas’s ear. “It’s a date.” he repeated, smiling. 

~

The next day, Mary sent a bouquet to the book shop with card saying “To understanding beauty and delicacy”. Cas had to stop himself from laughing so loud, he’d scare away the customers.

**Author's Note:**

> Sunflowers: adoration  
> Acacia: (yellow) secret love  
> Orchids: delicate beauty  
> Chrysanthemum: blossoming love
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed!  
> -N.I.


End file.
